The San Jose Earthquakes U13 Pre-Academy team clinched its first-ever (USYSA) Far West Regional League Championship (FWRL) when they defeated Skills Development Academy (SDA) 2-0 in Sacramento on Dec. 14 to win the California Regional League - CalNorth Division Championship. The championship also means the 13’s will play a one game playoff in April against the CalSouth CRL finalist to see which team automatic qualifies to the prestigious US Youth FarWest Regional Championship.
“I thought we played a fantastic game against a top ten team in the country. I couldn’t be any more happy for the boys,” said Quakes coach Martin Reyes. "We told the boys if they wanted to compete at the highest level, they would have to measure up against teams like SDA and Sporting. The effort they showed was just phenomenal. What an awesome feeling.”
The victory wrapped up a streak of three must-win league games in a row which also saw the 13’s beat Santa Clara Sporting 00 Green 1-0 and Modesto Ajax 4-0.
The Earthquakes U13 Pre-Academy team is based in San Jose, Calif. and is composed of players from throughout Northern California. The Pre-Academy teams of the San Jose Earthquakes are charged with the mission of developing players for advancement within the Earthquakes’ youth organization.
The USYSA Far West Regional Championship will be held next June in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will feature the champions from fourteen western states, including clubs from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
The Far West Regional League is for boys and girls teams in the U-12 through U-18 age groups. The Northern Division includes teams from Idaho, Oregon and Washington this year, and is also available to teams from Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Northern Nevada. Competition will continue through June and additional developments are expected next season as the league continues to evolve. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern Nevada and Utah willcompete in the Desert Division, while California North and California South make up the California Division.
U13 Pre-Academy Roster: Carlos Amaya, Nathan Arnott, Jacob Azah, Julio Balino, Hugo Bonardi, Eric De La Cerda, Charles Debling, Brandon Diep, Brendon Foster, Oscar Govea, Matthew Gurrola, Blake Hazelton, Ethan Hunt, Theo Korolev, Ranulfo Lopez, Blaine Lum, Alan Peña, Mario Rocha, Fabian Rodriguez, Tony Ruiz, Enzo Santini.
